System and method for software delivery

Abstract

A computer system and method for software delivery that include articles of manufacture having two or more installed, functional software applications organized in a protoset, the protoset configured to enable creation of one or more subsets (also called reduced metasets) from the two or more installed, functional software applications, each of the one or more subsets configured to be operable with a predefined computer system independent of the protoset; and a protoset module configured to operate on the protoset to enable creation of the one or more subsets of the two or more installed, functional software applications, the module responsive to one or more requests for the creation of the one or more reduced metasets.

1. An article of manufacture comprising:
 a storage medium; 
 a processor operatively coupled to the storage medium; 
 a plurality of installed, functional software applications organized in a protoset on the storage medium, the protoset configured to enable creation of one or more metasets on the storage medium, each of the one or more metasets configured to be operable with a computer system that includes the processor and the storage medium, wherein the one or more metasets includes a selected set of the plurality of installed software applications, wherein the selected set of the plurality installed software applications are selected for purchase in a request; and 
 a protoset module stored on the storage medium and configured to be executed by the processor, wherein the protoset module, when executed by the processor:
 distinguishes the selected set of the plurality of software applications from a non-selected set of the plurality of installed software applications based on the request, 
 operates on the protoset to create the one or more metasets in a state in which each of the installed software applications in the one or more metasets is operationally available, and 
 operates on the protoset to uninstall a plurality of the non-selected set of the plurality of installed software applications. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The article of manufacture of  claim 1 , wherein the protoset module, when executed by the processor, is further configured to screen the installed software applications of the one or more metasets to remove one or more instability sources. 
     
     
       3. The article of manufacture of  claim 1 , wherein the protoset module, when executed by the processor, is further configured to remove one or more of the group consisting of viruses, adware programs, and worm programs. 
     
     
       4. The article of manufacture of  claim 1 , further comprising: a pricing module coupled to the protoset module, the pricing module configured to determine a price for the one or more metasets by determining different prices based on one or more corporate objectives that differ at different points in time. 
     
     
       5. The article of manufacture of  claim 4 , wherein the one or more corporate objectives include a corporate objective selected from the group consisting of a profit goal and a pricing limitation. 
     
     
       6. The article of manufacture of  claim 4 , wherein the pricing module is configured to alter the one or more corporate objectives at near real time. 
     
     
       7. The article of manufacture of  claim 4 , wherein the pricing module is configured to provide on-the-fly bundling of the functional software applications independent of separate media, boxed sets, or network delivery, the on-the-fly bundling including on-the-fly pricing based on the one or more corporate objectives. 
     
     
       8. The article of manufacture of  claim 1 , wherein the protoset module, when executed by the processor, operates on the protoset to create the one or more metasets prior to delivery of the one or more metasets having the selected set of the plurality of installed software applications. 
     
     
       9. The article of manufacture of  claim 1 , wherein the uninstall of the plurality of the non-selected set of the plurality of installed software applications is performed by execution of a single executable uninstall file. 
     
     
       10. A computer-implemented method for installing software on a computer system, the method comprising:
 reading, by the computer system, a plurality of component descriptors from a computer readable file, at least one of the component descriptors describing a plurality of installed, functional software applications organized in a protoset; 
 receiving, into the computer system, selection information, wherein the selection information indicates a selected set of the plurality of installed, functional software that are to be purchased; and 
 performing, by the computer system a reduction operation on the protoset to uninstall a plurality of a non-selected set of the plurality of installed, functional software applications based on the plurality of component descriptors and on the received selection information, the performing of the reduction operation producing a metaset of operationally available functional software applications associated with the plurality of component descriptors, wherein the metaset includes the selected set of the plurality of installed software applications based on the received selection information. 
 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 10 , further comprising creating the protoset via an installer facility using install routines supplied by one or more vendors of the plurality of functional software applications. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 10 , further comprising cleaning the protoset to remove one or more data components that are unnecessary and present due to an installation operation. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 10 , further comprising storing the protoset as one or more of a single bit-image in a network environment, a collection of data files on a hard drive, and/or a collection of data files on non-volatile erasable memory. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 10 , further comprising configuring the plurality of functional software applications to follow a component object model to ensure compatibility and version resource data. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 10 , further comprising compartmentalizing the plurality of functional software applications into separate individual or groups of functional software applications. 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 10 , further comprising compartmentalizing and disposing the plurality of functional software applications in a partitioned hard drive, the partitioned hard drive enabling separating of an operating system from one or more of the plurality of functional software applications. 
     
     
       17. A computer program product comprising:
 a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing:
 one or more instructions for reading a plurality of component descriptors from a computer readable file, at least one of the component descriptors describing a plurality of installed, functional software applications organized in a protoset; 
 one or more instructions for receiving selection information, wherein the selection information indicates a selected set of the plurality of installed, functional software that are to be purchased; and 
 one or more instructions for performing a reduction operation on the protoset to uninstall a plurality of a non-selected set of the plurality of installed, functional software applications based on the plurality of component descriptors and on the received selection information, the performing of the reduction operation producing a metaset of operationally available functional software applications associated with the plurality of component descriptors, wherein the metaset includes the selected set of the plurality of installed software applications based on the received selection information. 
 
 
     
     
       18. The computer program product of  claim 17 , further comprising one or more instructions for creating the protoset via an installer facility using install routines supplied by one or more vendors of the plurality of functional software applications. 
     
     
       19. The computer program product of  claim 17 , further comprising one or more instructions for cleaning the protoset to remove one or more data components that are unnecessary and present due to an installation operation. 
     
     
       20. The computer program product of  claim 17 , further comprising one or more instructions for storing the protoset as one or more of a single bit-image in a network environment, a collection of data files on a hard drive, and/or a collection of data files on non-volatile erasable memory. 
     
     
       21. The computer program product of  claim 17 , further comprising one or more instructions for configuring the plurality of functional software applications to follow a component object model to ensure compatibility and version resource data. 
     
     
       22. The computer program product of  claim 17 , further comprising one or more instructions for compartmentalizing the plurality of functional software applications into separate individual or groups of functional software applications.